The friend said she was willing to let the children sit by themselves since they were regular flyers who knew how to behave and 'it's not like they can get off the plane'. I never decided if it was evil genius or just plain rude of her.

I admit that I can't see the possible rudeness here no matter how hard I look. Or the evil genius either, really....but I *really* don't see any rudeness.

Agreed. Assuming the kids could be counted on to behave (and many kids can) there's absolutely nothing rude about it.

When I was pregnant with our second child, my husband and I and our then toddler took a trip to Italy. We had no problems getting seats together on our outgoing flights, and we booked everything far in advance, but coming back we were unable to book seats together (I don't know why; we tried a couple of times waaaay in advance to get it fixed). We had two seats and a single one faaaaaar away. Our parenting strategy was always to work to keep our toddler entertained, taking shifts, and I was at a stage of pregnancy where I had to go to the bathroom frequently, and it would have been a hardship for us to have not been seated together, but one we would have dealt with if we had to without complaining but wanted to avoid if possible.

When we checked in at the airport, we asked the gate assistants for help, but they claimed they couldn't do anything and to ask the flight attendants. As it turns out, there was a block of 3 seats which were empty, as apparently the people missed their flight. A woman saw that block and zipped into it, lying down, as soon as the fasten seatbelts sign went off (it is easy to out maneuver a pregnant woman with a toddler, so she scored the move faster than I did). My husband asked her sweetly if she'd mind changing with me & our toddler, so he could help me with our toddler and she'd still get 2 seats (mind you, she'd only paid for 1). She refused because she said she had a bad back and needed to lie down. She was traveling with her husband but didn't care to sit with him (and also didn't want to let him share her newly-acquired bounty of space).

The FA (whom we'd asked on boarding if she could, if possible, help us find seats together) went up to this woman, fixed her with a steely gaze, and informed her that she WOULD be changing seats with me and my toddler. The woman caved at that point. She ended up still getting more seats than she'd paid for, and I was really bemused by her attitude that she deserved 3 seats to herself. I was so grateful to that FA for fixing things, and working in turns my husband and I kept our toddler amused & quiet (I couldn't have done that myself, particularly as I was at the stage of pregnancy where I had to go to the bathroom a lot). We got a lot of compliments after the flight on what a joy it was to fly with a well-behaved toddler. It definitely would have been a worse flight for many of us on that plane if that woman had managed to keep the 3 seats instead of settling for just scoring one bonus seat.

Like a prior poster, I always paid for the extra seat when I flew with a baby, and I always brought a carseat (I am very safety minded), and I always got hassled as it was presumed I had no right to that "extra" seat and was a special snowflake for having brought on a carseat.

Background - I was 25 years old, living far from family, working my first real grownup job, flying home for a vacation. My budget was tight so I shopped for a cheap flight. I saved $400, but I had a 3-hour drive to the airport.

My job required strange hours sometimes and the night before my flight was one of those times. I worked until about 10pm. Got home and finished packing. Got up at 4am the next morning, drove 3 hours, arrived at the airport at about 8am. Parked in a remote lot to save money.

Plane 1 - was hit by lightning in mid flight. This was the best flight of the day.Plane 2 - They had an equipment problem, found a substitute plane, but takeoff was delayed enough that I would miss my 3rd plane. Flight was very bumpy.

Plane 3 - I was re-booked onto a 15-seat commuter plane. That's an aisle down the middle, 6 rows of 2 seats, and 3 seats in the tail. A mother and her 9-year-old son got on and the air line staff were asking someone to swap seats with the son so he could sit near his mom. I am an idiot. I volunteered. It turned out his seat was the middle seat in the tail.

So there I am - sleep deprived, riding in the worst seat on the plane, and it was another bumpy flight. You know those air vents that blow fresh air in your face? They really DO help with motion sickness. I arrived a little green but without embarrassing myself or fouling the plane.

And, to make the day perfect, my luggage missed my 3rd plane. It arrived an hour later on a full-size plane, one I could have taken.

Background - I was 25 years old, living far from family, working my first real grownup job, flying home for a vacation. My budget was tight so I shopped for a cheap flight. I saved $400, but I had a 3-hour drive to the airport.

My job required strange hours sometimes and the night before my flight was one of those times. I worked until about 10pm. Got home and finished packing. Got up at 4am the next morning, drove 3 hours, arrived at the airport at about 8am. Parked in a remote lot to save money.

Plane 1 - was hit by lightning in mid flight. This was the best flight of the day.Plane 2 - They had an equipment problem, found a substitute plane, but takeoff was delayed enough that I would miss my 3rd plane. Flight was very bumpy.

Plane 3 - I was re-booked onto a 15-seat commuter plane. That's an aisle down the middle, 6 rows of 2 seats, and 3 seats in the tail. A mother and her 9-year-old son got on and the air line staff were asking someone to swap seats with the son so he could sit near his mom. I am an idiot. I volunteered. It turned out his seat was the middle seat in the tail.

So there I am - sleep deprived, riding in the worst seat on the plane, and it was another bumpy flight. You know those air vents that blow fresh air in your face? They really DO help with motion sickness. I arrived a little green but without embarrassing myself or fouling the plane.

And, to make the day perfect, my luggage missed my 3rd plane. It arrived an hour later on a full-size plane, one I could have taken.

Funny, I rode in a plane like that once and I was glad to get that seat. ( I have long legs and appreciated the chance to stretch them out.)

I can see how that seat would be great for someone with long legs. Normally I like small planes. you can see stuff that you don't see on big planes. But that day and the day before I had 14 hours, of work 4 hours of sleep, and 12 hours of travel. I was surviving on sugar and caffeine. The one thing I didn't need was another bumpy plane ride.

The friend knew her kids were well behaved travelers, but the other passengers didn't. Fussing and trying to get seats together on unassigned seat flight would have delayed the flight and annoyed the other passengers. She let her kids sit in open seats. When the other passengers realized they might have unsupervised kids near them - they jumped at changing seats, so the kids were near to the parent, so she could deal with any issues.

If she foresaw the other passengers reaction that would make her an "evil genius" J/k

Traveling with my HS Drill team I saw something similar. People were eager to switch aisle and window seats for middle seats if it meant they weren't stuck in the middle of 60 - 90 teenaged girls. One time coach was Us + a marching band from another state on a transatlantic flight. I swear the 20 some passengers not associated with either school were huddled in the back of the plane for their own protection. . Except for the fact the Footloose soundtrack was audible over the multiple walkmen playing the tapes we were very well behaved though a bit parched. [size=78%]The plane ran out of every non-alcoholic drink except water and coffee 1/2 way over the Atlantic[/size]

I was asked to switch seat once and I was pleased to do so. I reached my seat (on the aisle) and found both it and the window seat occupied by a middle aged, middle class couple. I double checked my boarding pass and said, "I think that is my seat."

The man spoke up. "It probably is. My seat is there (points to the window seat in the row behind, next to an empty aisle seat). Do you mind switching?"

Let's see, would I rather sit next to the wife and needlessly irritate strangers or sit next to the window (my preference) with an empty seat next to me? Why, yes I would. In fact, I liked that seat much better.

In short, I agree that, when someone wants to switch their seat on an airplane, the switchee should get a better seat.

Logged

"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

Like a prior poster, I always paid for the extra seat when I flew with a baby, and I always brought a carseat (I am very safety minded), and I always got hassled as it was presumed I had no right to that "extra" seat and was a special snowflake for having brought on a carseat.

We've been hassled about this issue almost every time we fly. We always bought a seat for DS, even when he was a small baby, and we brought in a car seat. We've been questioned about it by gate agents, flight attendants, and other passengers. It got to the point where we always brought the receipt in addition to the boarding pass, just to provide all the proofs that we did pay for the seat. My favorite is one passenger who insisted that we should give up the window seat* anyway, because "the baby doesn't need it." Um, no.

*We were told by the flight attendants to put the car seat in the window seat because it is out of the way for emergency evacuation purposes.

Guess it sucks that you've had to prove you bought the extra set, but good for you for keeping the kid safe.

Onlyme.

Thanks, Onlyme. Unfortunately a friend of ours had a terrible experience with turbulence and holding a baby in her lap, so after hearing that story, we never flew with a baby on the lap again. Thankfully friend's baby is a healthy preschooler now.

I remember flying back from Orlando to Michigan with my then 7 year old niece and 10 year nephew plus my mother about 4 years ago. On the way there, I sat with my nephew and my mother with my niece as that was the seat assignments, no issues there. On the way back, we did not notice that they seated my mother in 1 row, me in another nearby row, then the kids together. My mother didn't notice the assignments immediately then she asked a flight attendant and a lady close to her own age nicely if she could change seats to sit with her grandkids, the passenger obliged. The kids took a nap the whole way back, I did also as our flight left around 8:30pm then arrived back in Michigan sometime after 10pm.

My 7-year-old daughter are flying next week to FarAway City for her bone marrow transplant. The tickets were ordered and paid for by a charity organization, pretty much last minute because we didn't have a final schedule until yesterday, so we are not complaining at all. But our seats are currently "unassigned." I have already prepared DD for the likelihood that we will not be sitting together. But I plan to ask those sitting near the less desirable seat if anyone would be willing to trade for the better one.

My 7-year-old daughter are flying next week to FarAway City for her bone marrow transplant. The tickets were ordered and paid for by a charity organization, pretty much last minute because we didn't have a final schedule until yesterday, so we are not complaining at all. But our seats are currently "unassigned." I have already prepared DD for the likelihood that we will not be sitting together. But I plan to ask those sitting near the less desirable seat if anyone would be willing to trade for the better one.

You may be able to pick seats when you check in the day before. If you can't talk to someone at the ticket counter or gate and see if they can get you seats together. Asking someone on the plane should be the last resort

Like a prior poster, I always paid for the extra seat when I flew with a baby, and I always brought a carseat (I am very safety minded), and I always got hassled as it was presumed I had no right to that "extra" seat and was a special snowflake for having brought on a carseat.

We've been hassled about this issue almost every time we fly. We always bought a seat for DS, even when he was a small baby, and we brought in a car seat. We've been questioned about it by gate agents, flight attendants, and other passengers. It got to the point where we always brought the receipt in addition to the boarding pass, just to provide all the proofs that we did pay for the seat. My favorite is one passenger who insisted that we should give up the window seat* anyway, because "the baby doesn't need it." Um, no.

*We were told by the flight attendants to put the car seat in the window seat because it is out of the way for emergency evacuation purposes.

I don't understand why you'd need any more proof than 3 boarding passes, each designating the assigned seat.

Logged

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